As electioneering is in full swing for the Delhi polls next month, the state BJP on Thursday raised doubts over AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal's declaration about his assets while filing his nomination on Wednesday.
. The conference was conducted by media head Praveen Shankar Kapoor, who clarified that no accusations were being made on Thursday. However, it is hard for Delhiites to believe that a retired officer who served as Chief Minister and MLA could have an average income of merely Rs 2.5 lakh.
Kejriwal was first elected as an MLA in 2013, a term lasting until November 4, 2014. Since February 2015, he has served continuously as an MLA. In his income tax returns for 2013-14, Kejriwal declared his MLA salary as his primary source of income.
Interestingly, for the 2013-14 fiscal year, he would have received only two months of Chief Minister salary and allowances, followed by regular MLA salary and allowances from March 2014 to November 4, 2014, the BJP said.
When reelected in February 2015, Kejriwal began receiving the CM salary and allowances until September 17, 2024, when he resigned. Subsequently, he would have been drawing his MLA salary until now.
Sachdeva highlighted that before the February 2023 pay hike, Delhi's Chief Minister received Rs 72,000 per month, which rose to Rs 1,70,000 per month after the hike.
When Kejriwal served as a regular MLA for seven months in 2014-15, he earned a salary and allowances of ?55,000 per month. Post-September 17, 2015, his MLA salary was Rs 90,000 per month.
Given these facts, Kejriwal's declared income from 2013-14 to 2024-25 in his affidavit dated January 15, 2025, does not align with these figures, the BJP claimed.
For example, his declared income for 2014-15 was Rs 7,42,884, despite being an MLA for only 9 months that year. In 2015-16, when his salary, including allowances, was Rs 72,000 per month, he declared an annual income of only Rs 2,46,946. Similar figures were reported in 2016-17, 2017-18, and 2018-19.
In 2019-20, his income suddenly dropped to Rs 1,57,823, which is significantly below the taxable basic salary of Rs 3,60,000 annually as Chief Minister, Sachdeva said.
Kejriwal's 2020-21 income raises the most significant questions. He declared a 40-fold increase, amounting to Rs 44,90,040, during a time when incomes plummeted globally due to COVID-19.
Sachdeva reminded attendees of Kejriwal's new liquor policy during 2020-21 and the unaccounted expenses for constructing the "Sheesh Mahal" during this period.
The next fiscal year, 2021-22, saw Kejriwal's income drop by 40 times to Rs 1,62,976, and in 2022-23, despite the CM salary hike, his income remained almost stagnant at Rs 1,67,066. In 2023-24, his income rose six-fold to Rs 7,21,530.
Sachdeva concluded that Delhiites demand clarification from Kejriwal about his income growth anomalies in 2020-21 (40-fold) and 2023-24 (6-fold), especially since he claims his MLA salary as his only source of income.
In a sharp response to Sachdeva, the AAP said Kejriwal, is a three-time CM and former IRS officer, who does not own a personal house in Delhi or even a car. “This a testament to his simplicity and commitment to public service. He has Rs 50,000 in cash and barely Rs 3 lakh in the bank. While, Parvesh Verma’s total wealth
is Rs 89 crore—about 27 times more than Arvind Kejriwal.
